


Pushing Geraniums

by noimalive



Category: Pushing Daisies, Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/M, Pushing daisies AU!, also murder obviously, but with background wesper coffee shop au, maybe helnik we’ll see, mostly kanej, warning for canon typical descriptions of inej’s background
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-06-29 01:37:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19819861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noimalive/pseuds/noimalive
Summary: Kanej pushing daisies au! Kaz has the ability to bring back the dead, but if he touches them again, they die again. Also, if they stay alive over a minute, someone else has to die. Kaz and medical examiner/occasional PI Nina are investigating Inej Ghafa’s death, who has reappeared dead 7 years after going missing. But with her murder involving Pekka Rollins and the gangs of Ketterdam, Kaz can’t solve the mystery without her alive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on ao3 so i hope it all works out! My soc tumblr is nothewraith. I tried to maintain the style of Pushing Daisies narration so there’s also that.

The facts were these: Kaz Brekker, at 24 years, 4 months, and 3 days, was the proud owner of The Dregs Coffee Shop and Bakery. Most days, his routine was the same. He woke up at 6:30, got dressed, and ate a small breakfast. Then, at 7, he walked downstairs into the shop to prepare the necessary doughs and batters. At 7:15, he would greet his single employee, Jesper, with a nod, which would be exchanged for a stream of conversation. He hadn’t really wanted to hire anyone, but Jesper’s amiable nature and tendency to gently flirt with customers gave The Dregs the sort of atmosphere a local business needed. Until the shop opened at 7:45, Jesper would help him with baking and start making coffee. Throughout the day, Kaz would prepare the baked goods and Jesper would make idle chit-chat with everyone while bringing out orders. At 7 P.M., Kaz would flip the sign to “closed” and Jesper would leave after they finished cleaning up. He would spend the rest of the night alone. 

But today was one of those different days, heralded by the beautiful young woman in a bright red coat eating coffee cake with papers spread over the table. Kaz spotted her and slid into the booth across from her. “What brings you here today, Nina?”

Dr. Nina Zenik, at 24 years old, was a bit of a medical prodigy, having completed all her schooling many years before. Always loving the chance to surprise, rather than accepting the offers at prestigious research facilities and hospitals, she had settled into a job as a medical examiner. One of the reasons Kaz Brekker was currently sharing a table with Ketterdam’s ME was this: Nina Zenik liked solving mysteries and finding justice beyond that required by her job description. And she didn’t mind getting a reward for her detective work. So, she sought out cases and did dirtier work than finding cause of death. 

The other reason that a baker was sitting with a doctor/private investigator was this: Kaz was very good at solving these mysteries on account of his ability to awaken the dead with a single touch. Like all gifts, it came with a catch- if he touched them again, they would die once more. And because the gift was given to Kaz Brekker, it came with a second catch- if he did not touch them again within a minute, another person would die. These things were taught to him with enough pain that Kaz became quite talented at finding and exploiting loopholes and catches in other places. These abilities coupled together brought him to approach Nina in The Dregs a year ago, offering his services in exchange for a healthy cut of the rewards. 

Now, Nina sighed and looked down at the files currently covered in crumbs. She glanced to ensure no one was listening, especially Jesper, who was always curious about their discreet meetings. “This case is a bit of a sad one.” 

“You’re too soft-hearted,” Kaz said with a slight smile, as this was a persistent argument between them.

“According to cardiological measurements, I believe my heart’s normal enough.” Nina brought her eyes up to his and said solemnly, “But seriously, this is a weird one. This was Inej Ghafa, she was only 23.” She showed Kaz a picture of a young woman. Inej has smooth brown skin and hair like ink. Pretty, but she was clearly dead in the picture and bruises spilled over her body in addition to the stab wound that had killed her. 

“Why don’t we have any pictures of her alive?”

“So here’s the weird part. Inej went missing when she was 16. There’s no pictures of her alive because she was presumed dead by everyone she knew. Now she shows up 7 years later stabbed to dead.” 

Kaz studied the picture again. Inej’s eyes are closed, but he imagined what must’ve been behind them to make it all those years. “Her parents offering a reward?”

“Yea, but it’s small. They’re traveling acrobats.” Kaz didn’t comment on that. “But there’s multiple sources who are offering a lot of money to find out what happened to her. Sources like Tante Heleen and Pekka Rollins.” Nina was musing about what this girl could’ve done to warrant searches by such big players in organized crime, but Kaz was still hearing that name, over and over: pekkarollinspekkarollinspekkarollins

Yes, he would solve this case. He would take that money from Rollins and in the process get his revenge. So, when Nina finished talking, without hesitation he said “I’m in.” 

These were the days Kaz broke from his routine. He left Jesper to oversee the shop, ignoring his questions, and drove with Nina to examine a dead body. 

—

Kaz followed Nina into the office. She greeted the secretary, who gave Kaz his usual leery look. A man in a suit stood by the doorway, probably waiting to identify a body. By now, Kaz was accustomed to this routine, too. Nina would make some excuse to the secretary for Kaz coming inside, then she would lead him to the body. While he worked, she would stand across the room. Nina had once told him she wasn’t squeamish, of course, but hated to see the bodies reanimated only to fall once more. She had also told him that every good medical professional needs a good balance of distance and connection to their patients; as her patients were dead, she liked to view them as people, but without everything that made them people. 

Kaz walked by the corpses with practiced indifference. He still despised the touching, but he could bear the rest. Inej looked just as lifeless as her picture, until he touched her lightly on the forehead. Her eyes shot open and she spoke, as if resuming a sentence that had been paused: “I can help you.” Then, confusion entering her face as she took in her surroundings, Inej moved swiftly. A knife appeared in her grasp (taken from her own injury, Kaz later would realize) and she held it to his throat. 

Kaz spoke with only a hint of unease tinging his voice, steady from prior situations not unlike this one. “Inej Ghafa? My name is Kaz Brekker. You are dead, but you have a minute to tell me about your murder so we can get justice for you.”

The facts were these: Inej Ghafa had not heard her own name in years, and it had been even longer since it had been pronounced correctly. At age sixteen, she had indeed gone missing, and she had not “run away from the circus” as the policemen had jeered amongst themselves. She had loved her family dearly and hoped to succeed in such feats of acrobatics as they had. Inej had been speaking to visitors before the evening’s show, hoping to drum up excitement. The men had stared at her and talked conspiratorially amongst themselves as she had approached, but Inej had felt courageous with the anticipation of her act that night and did not notice. She did not notice as she walked with their group, trying to encourage conversation about the trapeze, and they led her further away from the crowd. By the time she noticed the truck and the size of the men, it was too late. They did not think a little Suli girl from a family of acrobats would be missed.

Of course, when she did not make her entrance that night, her family quickly became frantic and called the police. But the police made the missing persons report only reluctantly and made their jokes and after a month told the Ghafas that she either ran away or was dead. The men knew how to pick targets, and they knew who to sell them to: Tante Heleen, the peacock of the Menagerie. Inej was brought to a city far from her home and was handed off to this woman, adorned in feathers and diamonds. She had wrinkled her nose when she said “Inej Ghafa” and that was the last time heard her name (albeit said incorrectly) while at the Menagerie. For two years, she was a Lynx or “that Suli girl” or “the one with the silks.” And after that, even more aliases: spy, spider, wraith.

So when Kaz Brekker addressed her, she said again, “I can help you.” 

The truth was, Inej wasn’t quite sure how she died, but she would provide whatever information she could. She was a spy, after all. “It was supposed to be a parley between a few gangs- the Dime Lions, Black Tips, the Razorgulls- and other...businesses. I was there to listen in, intervene if any law enforcement showed up or anything got violent. But when I arrived, there were only a few people there. I think the parley was a set up-” 

The man- Kaz- looked at his watch, his eyebrows creased. “Your time is almost up. I’m sorry.” Inej was surprised, because he really did seem sorry and in her experience, men who looked like him rarely were sorry or honest about it. 

She wanted this so badly, to find out who killed her, to stop her story from happening again. Inej would not beg for the last few seconds of her life. She only looked Kaz in the eyes and said “Please.” 

“There is a way. You could stay alive. You could be free.” 

Somehow he had read the longing inside her. “Free?” More than anything, Inej wanted to belong to herself.

Kaz watched his watch tick the last second, his decision made. He didn’t know what it was about Inej, but he couldn’t bring himself to make the fire behind her eyes die. She had them closed now as she exhaled in anticipation of the end. When she opened them, Kaz could see the revelation linger over her features.

“Is the minute up?” Nina called. In the intensity of the moment, Kaz had forgot she was there. 

“New plan. There’s no way we can solve this without Inej.” That wasn’t wholly the reason, but Kaz buried his sentimentality under practicality.

“You left her alive?! Bitch, I was in the vicinity! I could’ve died!” 

“But you didn’t,” Kaz supplied helpfully. Inej watched this exchange, clearly searching for a glimpse of understanding. 

Nina approached the no longer dead body with her characteristic warmth. “Hi I’m Nina. Long story short, Kaz can wake dead people but if he does for more than a minute, another person dies. We’ll explain more later, but now I have to see who we killed.” She scrounged in her bag for a minute, then pulled out a sweatshirt and leggings. “You can put those on while we figure out how to sneak you out of here and make sure my secretary is still breathing.”

They left Inej to change and cautiously slipped back to the front desk. The secretary was still tapping away, but the man waiting was slumped on the floor, unnoticed. Kaz was trying to convince Nina they should just leave him there when Inej appeared beside them. He hadn’t heard her approach; it was as if she had materialized from smoke. 

“I’ve seen him before. Geels. A life for a life is a tricky thing, but he was a bad man.” Kaz could see the outline of the knife in the pocket of the sweatshirt, which sagged on her small frame. It hid her bruises and he hoped it would conceal her identity as well.

Nina reached to comfort Inej. “Well we chose your life. And now that you’re alive, we need to hear all about it, starting with how you know all these gangs and their members.” 

To Kaz’s surprise, Inej accepted Nina’s hand and squeezed it. “I know. Where do we go now?”

“To Kaz’s coffee shop.”

“Wait, Kaz has a coffee shop?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tender wesper moments plus angsty flashbacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just some other notes about this au- it takes place in the pushing daisies universe (which is set somewhere and sometime ambiguous, so just with grishaverse location names), so grisha aren’t a thing and it’s modern times. also makes it a bit more whimsical and strange than the grishaverse

Jesper Fahey hated routines. So Jesper enjoyed days like these, when Kaz left on his mysterious errands. He had at least discerned that Kaz was working with that detective (or something), Nina. Jesper loved talking with Nina and loved how she always ordered a different pastry every day, but he hadn’t been able to charm any further information out of her. 

Routine drove Jesper to pace ceaselessly, to shake his knee, to tap his foot. It made his nerves tingle and his limbs itch. Working at the coffee shop was good, because there was always something to do. Always a customer to greet, a pot of coffee to make, displays to arrange. When all else failed, he could knead dough, funnel the energy drumming through his fingertips into something else. 

The bell rang, and Jesper checked to see if it was Kaz. He did like these days when he would run the shop, but something in him twisted when he saw Kaz and Nina bent over a paper, deep in discussion. He did his best to engage Kaz and worked through his stiff exchanges. He had won other man’s friendship over time, and it hurt to watch Nina easily earn his attention. But he liked Nina and her sweet tooth and her gossip so he would not be jealous.

It wasn’t Kaz at the door. Jesper smiled at the sight of the messenger bag stuffed with paper and red curls. “Hi Wylan. You want your regular?”

Wylan had already plopped the bag down at the floor and was opening his laptop, swimming with equations and numbers. Jesper still wasn’t sure what Wylan exactly did but thought he might be in grad school. He seemed too young and sheltered to have a real job. 

“You know my order?” Wylan’s eyes were soft and Jesper gave him a winning smile. 

“‘Course I do, sweetheart. I know the orders of all my favorite customers.” Wylan rolled his eyes, but a blush spread over his cheeks. 

Once Jesper set down Wylan’s latte and blueberry muffin, he took the chair next to him. The truth was, while Jesper was a very good employee, he didn’t know anyone else’s order like he knew Wylan’s. He remembered how the regulars took their coffee, of course, but Jesper didn’t have it ready for them a minute before they walked in. He recalled what type of cookies or pastry they liked, but he didn’t set aside the best one from the freshest batch. The first time Wylan had passed through the shop doors two months ago, Jesper had been ready maybe to crack a joke about the overstuffed backpack, definitely to flirt a little. He hadn’t been prepared for this: sitting side by side, discussing Wylan’s chemistry project, suggesting new songs to play on the flute. He hadn’t been prepared to memorize how Wylan would stir his coffee, take a few sips, then forget about it until it was cold. He hadn’t been prepared for the aching in his heart when the bell on the door chimed at 9:35 every other day.

But Jesper didn’t like routines, so he didn’t mind being unprepared.   
—-

Kaz had always thought himself good at reading people and analyzing their desires and faults. So he would expect a woman who had just been gruesomely murdered then awakened from death while her attackers were still at large to sit quietly, maybe chatter nervously. But Inej had taken the front seat with a giddy smile (relegating Kaz to the back), opening the window to let the wind whip through her hair. 

Eventually, she said, “When this is all over, can I see my parents again?” Her voice was full of hope.

Nina sighed. “The first problem is that we’ve got to keep Kaz’s whole thing quiet. How would we explain to them you being alive again?” 

“They can keep a secret. And we don’t have to explain it all to them.” 

Kaz contemplated for a minute. “Let’s just wait until we get through this. Speaking of secrecy, you’ll need to keep your identity hidden. Your killers are still out there.” 

Inej laughed. “I’m very good at keeping myself hidden. It’s in my job description. But right now, it’s nice to be...loud. It’s been a while.”

Kaz thought he might understand now. Back in the office, he had recognized that longing for freedom in her. This was an aspect of it. She must’ve spent so long in the shadows, but now she had the opportunity to take up space and be seen. He knew it would be frustrating for her to revert back to concealing herself, but if they succeeded, Inej could make all the noise she wanted. Kaz just hoped she could wait long enough. 

Now, he caught sight of her throwing her head back in a laugh as Nina sang off key with the radio. Her hair shimmered with the light of the morning sun, and Kaz was glad she wasn’t hiding in the shadows. 

When they pulled up to The Dregs, Inej’s eyes crinkled in delight. Kaz could see she enjoyed the paradox of it- the hard edged man who could awaken the dead and condemn them to the darkness again existing in this charming little space. Kaz reached for the door and saw Inej doing the same. He pulled his hand back like he’d been electrocuted, heart thudding with the picture of what could’ve happened. 

“There’s one more aspect of this,” Kaz explained. “If I touch you, you die again.” 

She took a second to compose herself. “Aren’t bakers supposed to wear gloves or something anyways?” He could tell she was trying to break the tension of the moment, so he shrugged and led her and Nina inside.

The truth was more complicated than that. Touching was difficult for too many reasons to name. It wasn’t just caution for the effects of his power, although that played a role. In some ways, it was about the sensation of his hand against the skin of someone who was no longer there. Kaz knew it didn’t make sense, but he hated that absence more than anything and he feared creating that absence in the people around him. He guessed it had all started the fateful day on the riverside field.

Once upon a time, Kaz had spent every minute of every day in green pastures and open meadows. At ten years old, he was only expected to help with a few chores, and then he was free to roam. That afternoon, he had wandered to the northernmost edge of the farm, where a babbling brook formed the boundary. He was in earshot of Jordie, of course, but he didn’t mind the presence of his brother. 

As soon as Kaz saw the snake, he had called Jordie over. This was just the sort of thing they were interested in. Kaz would often have his brother tell him all about the wildlife, because Jordie was very smart and knew everything. Well mostly everything- Kaz was pretty sure he was better at math. 

The snake writhed on the ground and soon it was out of sight. Kaz was hoping they could find it again together, when he heard a shout. He raced through the high grasses, but it was too late- Jordie lay among the wheat, silent, as the snake slipped away. Hoarse from yelling, Kaz was also quiet as he grabbed his brother’s limp hand and tugged at it desperately. It must’ve worked, because his hand was being squeezed back and Jordie was sitting up and looking him in the eyes. “That was a cottonmouth.” 

Kaz had wiped the hot tears from his face, already feeling a bit silly for his reaction but relieved all the same. “Is it poisonous?” 

“No,” Jordie laughed. “It’s venomous.” 

Jordie regaled him with the story of fighting off the snake as they walked back through the field. Kaz was almost expecting something bad to happen, like he was holding his breath. He exhaled when he saw it- their father motionless on the tractor, slumped over the wheel.

Their neighbors were miles away and the farm was isolated enough that it took a very long time for the ambulance to arrive. They hadn’t know what to with themselves in the meantime. Jordie tried using the CPR he had watched in a movie at school, while Kaz paced about. For whatever reason, he couldn’t find it in himself to cry yet. He still held onto the hope that whatever magic or luck from before would happen once more. Finally, a siren rang out nearby. They sat on the house steps, and Kaz reached for Jordie’s hand, as he had before. Immediately he went still. This time, Kaz knew he wouldn’t squeeze back. 

—-

Inej’s voice brought him back to the present. “Kaz? Nina wants to know if we can get coffee.” 

Kaz realized she must be hungry. He wasn’t sure if being dead for a two days counted as not eating for that long. He hadn’t exactly had the opportunity to ask anyone else. “Yea of course, order what you want.” 

Jesper was leaning on the counter talking to someone, but jumped to his feet at the sound of Kaz’s voice. He would’ve said something about sitting on the job, but Jesper’s lime green apron was a bit distracting. “Who’s this?” 

“A witness for our case.” In the car, they hadn’t decided on how to hide Inej’s identity from her enemies, but had figured this was a sufficient excuse for everyone else. 

“Our case about...?” 

Kaz didn’t have the chance to shut down Jesper’s prying. Nina answered for him. “The typical. Life. Death. All very unexciting.” 

Jesper rolled his eyes, but stuck out his hand to Inej. “I’m Jesper. Kaz’s favorite employee. Also the only employee, but that’s unimportant.”

“I’m Inej, nice to meet you.” Her eyes slid past Jesper and landed on the seat next to him. “Who’s this?” 

Kaz recognized him as a regular who was maybe a little shifty, but nothing more. The man looked up, confused at being called out. “Me? Uh I’m just a customer, Wylan, Wylan Hendriks.” He shrank against the counter, clearly uncomfortable.

All Inej said was, “You look familiar. Huh.” 

As they settled into a booth, Kaz asked, “Is that kid one of your gangbangers?” 

The corners of her mouth turned up. “‘Course not. And I think you would’ve already heard of him, since you seem to know too much about the rough side of Ketterdam for a coffee shop owner.”

“I run a small local business. I have a vested interest in what happens in the city.” Kaz had once considered using his mind for business for different things, but after weighing the choices, this seemed like a better wager.   
—-  
“Where do I start?” Inej asked as they sat down with their coffee.

“At the beginning,” Kaz answered.

She had thought this part would be hard- telling her story to near strangers. But she felt ready. And this was different than reporting information back to her superiors. She wasn’t being paid for these secrets and her worth wasn’t based on them. The control was hers. So Inej told her story how she wanted. It wasn’t all of it, but everything was true.

After two years at the Menagerie, desperation had begun to creep in. There was no end in sight. One night, she whispered to a man she knew to be the lieutenant of the Dime Lions, promising to spill some secret she had heard. It was risky, but Inej thought it might be a way out. He had returned once a week for a month. The morning of the next meeting, Tante Heleen called for her in the parlor. The lieutenant stood there and made his offer: they would buy her indenture if she worked for them as a spy. Without hesitation, looking to a life outside the perfumed walls and endless nights, Inej agreed.

She was led through the city to a gaudy building, Emerald Palace. He left Inej at the bottom of the stairs with the instruction to demonstrate her ability. So she slid through the shadows, silently climbed the stairs, and slunk through the open doorway until she stood behind the man at the desk. Finally, the three men in the room noticed her. 

The one leaning against the wall chuckled. “Looks like you’ve found yourself a new spider.”

The man at the desk stood, enabling Inej to see his garish bright green suit in its entirety. “You kidding? I’ve found myself a wraith.” 

She wasn’t even given a chance to introduce herself. Inej wasn’t even sure that the man at the desk-Pekka Rollins- ever learned her name. From that point, her existence was about making herself a worthwhile investment to them. She was sent across Ketterdam, along rooftops, and through bedrooms to gather the secrets of Pekka’s enemies and occasionally of his friends. One night in her first year, it had turned out her intelligence was no good and they threatened to sell her back to Tante Heleen. Inej knew her worth, her weight in secrets. 

There were things she did not tell Nina and Kaz. She didn’t tell them how she was given a gun, and left it in her room every night, telling those who asked that it threw off her balance. That when she had been confronted in the kitchen of a boarding house, she had reached for a knife from the drawer. Inej had sobbed silently in her room for days, but began carrying knives after that. She didn’t tell them how many times she had thought about running away, but never did, because she knew that the only guaranteed way out was through. They didn’t need know about when she considered what would be a worse consequence of being caught: being killed or being returned to the Menagerie. 

At last, Inej reached the present year. How her small rebellions had begun with omitting trivial details in her reports. They had escalated over time to outright lies and consequential omissions. The night before her murder, she had revealed the Dime Lions’ plan to the girlfriend of a rival gang leader. They were going to torture her in front of him in attempt to have him concede some disputed territory. She didn’t deserve to be caught up in all this, so Inej had told her to run. The next day, she had arrived at the parley as scheduled. The moment she realized what was happening when she saw Pekka and Tante Heleen’s faces, it was too late.

Her audience had sat through her tale silently, only posing a question here or there. Now, Nina asked, “So you do know who killed you then?” 

“No. I didn’t see who actually did it. But I know this was bigger than me warning someone. They weren’t just threatening me or taking me back to the Menagerie. I think that they were trying to clean up a mess. That I had seen something, and now that they knew I might leak it, I had to be killed.”

Kaz tilted his head, as if he was trying to puzzle it out. “How do you know that?” 

“I’m not sure exactly what I saw that they were afraid of. But I know that it wasn’t just typical street gang matters, because there was a merch there. Van Eck.” 

“You think he had Pekka do a job for him or something and wants that hushed up?” 

“I think Pekka might work for him.” Kaz’s eyes narrowed. It was strange that he seemed so invested in this, but she put it aside. “It’s just a guess and I’m not sure I would’ve put it together without seeing them together that day. But with the business I’ve seen and things I’ve heard, it makes sense now.” 

Nina looked up from her croissant. “Okay, but does this have to do with your murder investigation? And why would Pekka and Heleen put a reward out for information on your death?” 

“I didn’t even know that they did that.”

“I know why,” Kaz said. “They both had invested in you, and it would be suspicious if they didn’t publicly investigate. They could’ve kept it hushed up, but this is good for them in another way- it distracts everyone from whatever it is that they’re really doing.” 

“It also makes it harder for Inej to help us,” Nina sighed.

“I’ll be fine- I can hide well enough. I just wish I understood how a merch is involved in all this.” 

Kaz looked more serious than ever, his dark hair falling over his eyes, leaving them in shadows. Inej wished she could understand this strange man, who somehow coexisted as a baker and an investigator with a morbid power. “I suppose we’ll have to find out for ourselves.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leigh bardugo (big brain)- if Pekka Rollins didn’t happen, Kaz would work at the exchange  
> me (bigger brain)- Kaz would work at a coffee shop   
> —  
> so we’re mostly done with flashbacks, except some for Kaz to explain post Jordie. Pekka wasn’t involved in Jordie’s death so it’s a little different. Also less prominent need for revenge which is why Kaz doesn’t build his life around it


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang splits up to gather information. Jesper tags along. Nina dons a slutty doctor costume. We meet Matthias.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a Nina POV in here! Also I realized how similar Jesper and Nina are while writing this and you can tell I got excited about the comparison :)

“So Kaz, what’s our next step? Do you have a plan?” Nina asked. This part of their partnership was usually left to him. However, their investigations usually didn’t involve powerful gangs and wealthy businessmen. Most of the time, they would just hand their information over to their clients or the police if it was necessary. Once in a while, Kaz plotted out where to intercept their suspects and they had encountered some dangerous situations with the murderers. But, as much as he hated to admit it, Kaz had very little of the experience this case would require.

So he didn’t admit it. Kaz just said, “And all this scheming falls to me?”

Nina laughed. “As if you’d let anyone else handle it.” That was true. And he could already see the pieces in his mind: what information they would need to find, the players involved, the possibilities of the conspiracy. It would be bigger than anything he had managed before, but that didn’t matter. Solving this case was the opportunity to confront Pekka Rollins once and for all and it was the only way to free Inej.

“Okay. First thing we need is intelligence. What Inej has helped get us to this point, but we need more. We don’t know why a merch would partner with a gang, so we’ll need to check out Van Eck. We should also learn who actually killed Inej, because that’s a trail to follow. Or we could use that to get more information from the murderer if we threaten to bring it to the police.”

“We will actually tell the police though, right?” Nina interrupted. “Because whoever did it deserves to rot in prison. We’re doing this to get justice for Inej.”

“Of course, we will eventually. And we should see what we can find out from Pekka, too. He’ll have a specific role in this partnership, so there will be different information with him from what Van Eck has.”

“I think it makes sense for us to split up,” Inej said. “We have a lot of ground to cover and as the most experienced spy present, I’ll need to take the most delicate job. Kaz, you know way more about Ketterdam’s criminal underground than any baker should, but it’s not the same as actually living it. And Nina, you’re the best, but I don’t think quiet spywork is where your talents lie-“

Nina stopped her. “Inej, you don’t have to explain yourself. We’re not offended. You’re completely right.”

“I agree, Inej, splitting up is the best plan. Nina can go back to the lab to look at the files the police gave her on the crime scene. Inej, you should search the Van Eck mansion, see what you can find. And I’ll go-“

“-with me.” Kaz hadn’t realized Jesper had snuck up behind them while they were planning. “There’s no more customers coming in, so we can close early, and I want to be part of your heist.”

“It’s not a heist and you’re not coming.” Kaz wondered how much of the conversation Jesper had heard. They had only mentioned Inej’s death once or twice and no one had said anything about Kaz’s power, so they were probably safe. Still, he didn’t need Jesper tagging along and learning the truth.

“It sounds like a heist. And I could be helpful! I’m trilingual.”

“Nina speaks more than three languages.” Kaz answered.

“I’m charming. To women and men.”

“So is Nina.” Nina said herself. She and Jesper shared a look and grinned.

“If you want to get into the Emerald Palace, you’ll need to look and act the part. You’re wearing a black suit, Kaz. You need my help.”

“Good point, Jesper,” Inej said. Kaz wasn’t sure why Nina and Inej seemed to working against him on this.

“I happen to like my suit. And we need to get going.” Kaz knew a losing battle when he saw one, so he let Jesper follow them out the door, then flipped the sign to closed.

\---

Nina grinned as she turned the radio up. Inej hadn’t heard this song before, so she sat in the passenger seat quietly, stifling laughter, while Nina shouted the words. It was a tragedy she and Inej hadn’t met as teenagers, because Nina could imagine them being best friends. She could almost see them watching silly rom-coms together and gossiping over homework. But that would’ve been in another life- indeed, it was a second life for Inej in a way. As a doctor, Kaz’s power was a mystery that bothered Nina. It wasn’t as though she kept to a strict diet of science and logic, but necromancy was a bit beyond her belief in the unknown. When he had posed their partnership, Kaz had demonstrated his power, providing irrefutable evidence. She had accepted his proposal right away, because as strange as it all was, Nina knew his power was real. There had been so many questions ricocheting in her mind at that moment, which Kaz had mostly been unable or unwilling to answer. Now, the same questions rose again as she held a conversation with a previously dead individual.

Before they left the shop, they had decided to head to their targets together. The Van Eck mansion wasn’t far from her lab, and Nina liked having company while she drove. They came to a stop in front of the office, and they both got out.

“Be careful.” Nina reminded her.

“Don’t worry, I’ve done this before. And if you find anything, let me know. It probably won’t be long at the mansion, so I’ll have time to look into something else if you need.”

“How will I contact you? Wait don’t answer that, you don’t have a phone. Take mine. I’ll just call from the office phone since I’m staying in one place.” Inej pocketed the phone Nina handed her. It would be uncomfortable to be without it in the middle of a job with so many different parts, but Inej needed it more. Thinking about how isolated Inej must’ve been all those years- and even now- made Nina even more eager to take down those responsible. Inej waved goodbye, then slipped into the shadows, her hood concealing her face, as she started toward her destination.

Nina silently wished her luck, then headed to go inside. When she reached the door, Nina realized Kaz’s oversight. It was surrounded by yellow tape, and a police car sat in the lot. How had they forgotten about Geels’ death? Or was it Inej’s missing body that had brought the cops there?

She saw a tall police officer, probably around her own age, standing outside. Without a phone to consult Kaz, Nina would have to resort to another method.

Nina ducked to the side of the building. There, she pulled out her lab coat from her bag, crumpled as always, and shrugged it on. She buttoned it up part way, and let the top hang open, tight against her chest. She swiped on red lipstick, and let her hair loose. With a check in her compact mirror, Nina thought she made a very good sexy doctor from a quick change with the assorted items in her bag. 

Nina sauntered up to the officer slowly to ensure he would get a good look at her before they talked. He only turned around for the last second of her walk, though, and gave her a stern look. When it became obvious she was approaching him to converse, he grimaced. In her pocket, Nina crossed her fingers- she hoped he would be more receptive once she was closer. 

There was only a few feet between them when Nina finally spoke. “Hello, Officer...Helvar.” Thankfully his name was on his shirt. That was always helpful for these situations. “I can’t believe all this commotion. I just need to pop in real quick.”

“I’m sorry Miss, we are conducting an investigation at the moment. You cannot enter, because it is a crime scene.” The serious set of his eyes hadn’t changed, but the wrinkling of his forehead betrayed how uncomfortable he was. Nina could work with that, too. 

“Oh but you see, it’s doctor actually, not Miss. Doctor Nina Zenik. I work here on bodies all day long.” She allowed herself a breathy laugh. 

“You’re the medical examiner?” Helvar asked, seeming doubtful.

“Of course. It’s quite exciting- I examine corpses all day, but I’ve never seen a crime scene before! Lucky for me- I get to see a man in uniform on my way to work.” 

He faltered. Nina wasn’t sure if it was because he was flustered by her or just surprised she worked there. “Well, I’ll need to see some ID… and were you present at this location yesterday afternoon?”

Nina hadn’t foreseen being questioned. “I actually left for my break right before it all happened. I was at The Dregs, I have a receipt if you need evidence.” She pulled out the card that identified her as the ME and her crumpled receipt. As she handed them to Helvar, she let her hand linger on his. He snatched it away and read over the papers, his face flushing. 

He was quiet for a while. Finally he said, seemingly at a loss, “It all checks out, you can go in if you’re careful not to disrupt anything. I’ll be in the doorway.” 

Nina couldn’t consider this a win-it was obvious he was suspicious. And, her hot doctor act hadn’t worked. Maybe Jesper was the better bet for these things…

The inside of the office was striped with crime scene tape blocking off evidence. Nina made her way to the desk carefully, knowing that if she knocked anything over, there was no way Helvar would let her stay. Her file cabinet had already been rummaged through by the police, but Nina kept copies of recent records in a desk drawer in case she lost the originals. She carried them and the office phone into the lab. 

There she spread out all the papers and sorted what seemed relevant. Undeniably natural deaths were all put aside, and everything related to gunshot or stab wounds, street crime, and merchers stayed. Inej’s files had their own separate pile. The murder had been called in by a known Dime Lions member, who claimed to have found the body the next morning. The knife had been fingerprinted, but it was clean, of course. If Inej’s body was still on the examination table, she could’ve found more clues to the killer there, but Nina preferred her alive. 

Then, Nina called her own number to let Inej know what she found. After two rings, she picked up. “What’d you find?”

“I’ve got a handful of recent deaths that seem like they might be related.” Nina listed off the names. “Some of them have COD as natural causes, but they seemed off to me.” 

“I know a few of those names. And do you think the ones that were natural might’ve been in Van Eck’s circle? You can’t have a merch die of a gunshot wound without a big investigation, so he would’ve chosen a quieter death for them.”

Nina looked back at the faces on the ground. “Maybe, but some of them look too young- interns maybe? All unusual CODs for their age.” 

“Bring back the files, we’ll take a look at them all together. Was there anything else?”

“Yea, there were police on the scene here. An Officer Helvar? If he’s working on the case, his files might help us.” 

“If this partnership has been going on for a while, there might be information the police have beyond what there is from this case. We need what’s in Helvar’s head, not what’s on his desk.”

“There’s no way he’ll give us anything. I tried using the old fashioned way to get in, he wasn’t interested.” Nina heard Inej laugh. “Maybe, we find out what he knows already from the police station, so we can tell if he’d actually be useful. Then we get him on our team.”

Inej sounded confused. “I thought you said he was too honor- bound and all to even let anything slip. Why would he join us?”

“Inej, didn’t you work for a gang? We blackmail him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to include all of the intelligence gathering but I really needed to include Kaz's Pekka story in this section and it got stupid long so I ended up splitting this part into two shorter chapters. Also, my notes for this part are really funny and include the phrase "Kaz is a heist virgin" so I might have to share those eventually.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaz and Jesper run into Pekka Rollins during their part of the job. We learn some semi-tragic backstory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok if you haven't seen Pushing Daisies, the main character ends up going to boarding school after his mom dies. I didn't really have any other ways to incorporate the rest of Kaz's story so I just kept that idea. This long ass flashback is a bit extra but it was necessary...and yes I stole character names from background Dregs

Kaz approached the Emerald Palace, the large building looming ahead of him. Would he see Pekka? Could they get the information they needed without being caught? And if they obtained it, would it be what he needed to put down Pekka once and for all?

“Wow, it is way greener than I imagined!” Jesper’s voice came from behind, startling Kaz from his thoughts. 

“I thought you said you’ve been here before,” Kaz grumbled. The whole point of having Jesper here was his experience. 

“I’ve been around here. I know some of these places pretty well, but I never went into the Palace. Heard too many sketchy things about it.” 

Kaz had known about Jesper’s prior gambling addiction when he hired him. Jesper hadn’t told him, but Kaz did his own research. In the end, Jesper’s positive attributes had won over any concerns Kaz had about something from years in the past. 

“I’m pretty sure all of the Barrel qualifies as ‘sketchy,’ Jesper. I think we look suspicious enough loitering outside. We should go in.”

“Okay. Follow my lead, and you won’t stick out too much.” Jesper threw on a toothy smile as he looked back at Kaz and grabbed the handle of the door. “Remember, we will actually have to play, that’s how you get involved in the insider conversations.” They slipped inside, wallets out. 

Kaz was saying, “I know,” as the door flew open, nearly hitting Jesper in the face. A figure decked in flashy gold strolled through, tailed by two men. At first glance, he looked larger than life, a giant dripping with jewels and crowned with scarlet hair. But when Kaz looked at him again, he could see the shimmering on his wrist was just a clunky watch and his red hair was dulled with graying roots. And, Pekka Rollins was only a bit taller than Kaz now. Yet in the seconds between this shift, time froze. 

Kaz could see himself fourteen years before, alone in the moments before the ambulance arrived, his father motionless atop a tractor and Jordie utterly still beside him. The seconds and quiet had become a bustle of activity and a flurry of questions. The doctors were at a loss trying to diagnose the mysterious illness that had killed a man in his forties and his teenage son at the same time. In the beginning, they feared Kaz might have it, too, and took a constant stream of tests and measurements. When nothing came back and all things seemed healthy enough, a middle aged woman sat him down on the hard chairs in the hospital waiting room. 

She asked again about what he had seen. Finally, Kaz had mumbled, “It’s all my fault.” Somewhere along the way, he had made the connection between the afternoon’s events. The way it had all worked was still unclear, but everything came back to him- otherwise, he wouldn’t be the only one left.

The lady had given him a soft smile. “I know you feel that way, but you did nothing wrong. You’ve been through a very traumatic event, and survivor’s guilt is common in these situations.” She introduced herself as a therapist and wanted him to talk about what he was feeling now. But no matter how he insisted that he had caused it all to happen, she wouldn’t believe him. Kaz had tried explaining that when he first touched Jordie, he had woken up, and that the second time, Jordie had died. “It’s easy to think these things are associated, but these are all just coincidences. The doctors told me that there was no venom in your brother, so we know that had nothing to do with it. You calling him over to see the snake didn’t hurt Jordie at all. In fact, you should hold this memory of your brother dear, as I think, from what I’ve heard of him, really represents his…” Kaz couldn’t quite recall what the therapist said, for by that point, he knew no one would listen to his theory. Eventually, the woman grew as frustrated as Kaz was and let him be. 

Later, he was brought to talk to another woman, who called herself a social worker. She told him his case was very difficult, because he had no other family. When Kaz told her he would be perfectly okay on his own, she laughed. “You sound like a very smart boy, but that won’t do. I might have another solution for you.” By the end of the day, she presented him with his options: hopping from family to family in the foster system or attending a boarding school, whose headmaster stood in for the guardian of the children. The way the social worker, whose name was Margit, explained it to him, the choice seemed obvious. He’d always liked school, and this way, he could be as independent as he wanted. 

The next day, Kaz arrived with his suitcase to the school. It was smaller than he thought it would be, but maybe he had just watched too many movies. The only things he knew about boarding schools he had learned from Harry Potter. He had grown up in the countryside, so everything about Ketterdam was surprising to him, anyway. The social worker had led him to the dorms, which ended up being the top floor of the building converted into small rooms. The kids had seemed nice enough, though there was only a handful of them. They had all lost family and made the same choice as Kaz had.

One of them, a girl named Anika, explained about classes. “There’s three grade levels. We’re in the first section, ten to twelve, because we’re the youngest.” 

“So in two years, I’ll be taking the same classes I am now?” Kaz asked, confused and slightly concerned. 

“No,” Anika said. “There aren’t enough of us to have grades like most schools. But we learn different stuff every year, depending on the teachers Headmaster Hertzoon brings in. It’s just the classes are grouped by age.” 

“Are there different teachers every year?” 

“This is only her first year,” an older boy said. “But she thinks she knows everything.” 

Anika grinned. “I do know everything. But I’ll let Roeder talk, I guess.”

Roeder rolled his eyes. “Thank you. There’s around four teachers per year, and at least one of them stays for the next. But the Headmaster likes to rotate them, so we can be well rounded. You’ll have each class twice a week, usually.” 

Kaz had let his unease slip away as the students talked. They seemed smart enough, so he guessed the unconventional methods must work. He had gone to sleep, nervous but excited for the first day of class.

In the morning, when Anika guided him to their first class, Kaz found himself face-to-face with Margit. Before he could wonder why she was still there, she said, “Headmaster Hertzoon would like to meet you.” So, he left Anika and followed the woman to the office at the end of the hall. 

Kaz had crept inside, anxious to see the man who was legally his guardian. The man behind the desk was already standing, a jovial smile across his face. The apprehension in his chest slipped away as the Headmaster, with his respectable suit and bright tie, came into view. Kaz wasn’t sure of the etiquette for this situation, so he stuck out his hand. “I’m Kaz Rietveld. Nice to meet you.”

The Headmaster was taken aback for a moment at the sight of a small, serious looking boy shaking his hand as if they were making a business deal. For a second, Kaz feared this was wrong. Then, the man broke into laughter. “It’s very nice to meet you too, Kaz. I’m Headmaster Hertzoon. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you! I just wanted to get to know you and talk to you a bit about our school…” 

For the next ten minutes, they held an easy conversation about Kaz’s favorite subjects in school, the other students he had met, and what he’d be learning this year. So when Hertzoon asked him to sign a paper to make everything official, Kaz hadn’t even glanced at the words on the page. “You’ll be off to class then, good luck on your first day.” The headmaster patted Kaz on the back, sending him on his way. 

The class was quite different from what Kaz had experienced before, but he figured that was to be expected. Over the year, he adjusted to it all. He still missed his father and sometimes he would pretend to tell Jordie what he had learned that day, but he wasn’t unhappy. The social worker came and went, bringing new kids of varying ages. Sometimes, the older children left. Anika told him that when you turned eighteen, you aged out of the system.

“Headmaster Hertzoon doesn’t just kick them out, right?” Kaz had asked.

“I don’t think so,” she had said. “Maybe they just leave.”

He didn’t see Hertzoon all the time, but once in a while he would invite Kaz into his office. They would drink hot chocolate, and the headmaster would tell him that when he was old enough, Kaz should join his business.

“You mean become a teacher?” 

“Yea, that’s what I meant. I think you should try your hand at economics…” 

Kaz was already fourteen when he caught wind of something off about their headmaster. Now that they were old enough, he often wandered the city with the other students. The school wasn’t in the best part of Ketterdam, but it wasn’t in the worst part, either. Even though he was raised on a farm, the city soon felt familiar to Kaz. One evening, he suddenly realized his pocket was empty. Pickpockets weren’t unusual, but he hadn’t been a victim yet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a kid racing into the shadows. Without thinking, Kaz ran after him. When he finally grabbed the boy’s arm after a few minute’s chase, Kaz found himself in the middle of the Barrel. 

He snatched the wallet back, before the thief darted away again. The sun had set, and Kaz was lost in the most dangerous area of Ketterdam. Cursing to himself, Kaz began retracing his steps, when the unmistakable sound of a gun echoed through the alley. Then, he heard a familiar chuckle and his headmaster’s voice saying, “Serves you right!” 

Heart racing, Kaz approached the source of the noise. A young man lay on the filthy ground, his chest blooming with red. Kaz braced himself, then pressed his fingers to his neck to search for a pulse. 

For a split second, there was nothing. Then, the man sat up abruptly. “Who are you? Where’s Pekka?” Questions spilled out of his mouth.

Kaz felt panic wash over him. Should he call the police? Did he need medical attention? First, he asked, “Why were you talking to Jakob Hertzoon?” 

The man cocked his head. “Jakob Hertzoon? That was Pekka Rollins!” Kaz grabbed the man’s arm urgently. 

“What do you mean-” He began to say, but the man had fallen down again. Kaz checked his pulse again. Somehow, he had already known that there would be nothing. 

Eventually, Kaz had made his way back to the school. The next few days, he was agitated, but nothing seemed to be different. He didn’t know what it all meant. Maybe the voice only seemed similar? But he couldn’t help feeling hyper-aware and suspicious of everything around him. 

And, there was something else that had happened that night. The man’s recovery and death confirmed Kaz’s original beliefs about his father and Jordie’s death. He had to figure out how it worked, this strange ability that had simultaneously saved and killed his brother. For the next year, Kaz silently spent his days experimenting with his power and scrutinizing Headmaster Hertzoon. He tried searching “Pekka Rollins” online, but there was nothing helpful there, besides vague mentions of criminal associations. So, he decided to do his research more practically, roaming the streets of the Barrel between classes. Kaz kept his eyes out for pickpockets now, and soon he had protected himself from enough that he found himself learning the techniques of a thief. He made contacts in that side of the city to learn about Pekka and became educated in the gang politics. If anyone asked his name, he called himself “Kaz Brekker,” stealing the last name from machinery, in case his inquiries got him in trouble. 

There was enough death in the Barrel that it was a good place to learn about his powers, too. Touching dead animals was uncomfortable, but the people were the worst. Regardless of how he felt, Kaz needed to understand it. It was after he crouched down next to a dead crow a few months later that he finally felt satisfied in his comprehension to halt this vein of research. He could reawaken the dead animal or person with a touch and kill it again with a touch. If he waited more than a minute to do so, another life, which would be about equivalent, would be lost in exchange. In the end, it wasn’t all that complicated. 

He had learned all there was to know about Pekka Rollins, but there was no solid connection between him and Hertzoon, except the voice in the alley. Kaz thought himself rather patient for a teenage boy, but he was growing frustrated. Finally, he told Anika what he thought. 

“What do you mean, you think our headmaster is a gang leader?! That’s insane.” 

“It makes sense, though. Haven’t you thought that this school is a bit strange before?”

“Well, yes, but what’s that have to do with it? Why would Pekka Rollins want to run a school anyway?”

“He has to be getting something out of it. I don’t know what, but we can find out.” She hadn’t really believed him, but told Kaz she was bored enough that she would help him look through their headmaster’s files. 

When Margit had come by earlier that day, Kaz had swiped the key from her using what he had learned from the pickpockets of the Barrel. At midnight, Kaz and Anika met in front of the office door. She had paced anxiously while Kaz tried each key on the ring. At last, the door creaked open. 

They methodically attacked the stacks of paper, furiously sorting through meaningless words and numbers. “Wait, I found something on the new kid Margit brought in. Look, it’s that contract we all had to sign.” Anika shone a flashlight on the document she found. They read through it together. 

Kaz hadn’t read it when he first came to the school, but he doubted a ten year old would be able to process the legal jargon. Even now, he had to read and reread portions until he understood: each child that the school cared for had signed over everything valuable their family had owned and had given the headmaster access to whatever funds the student had inherited. When he reached the end, Kaz realized he had been holding his breath. “I didn’t even think about what would happen to the farm when I left.” 

“This is crazy! I thought the school was funded by the state, like how foster families get money…” Anika whispered. 

Kaz ruffled through another pile of documents. “I think these are Hertzoon’s ledgers, they have the teachers’ pay recorded in them.”

“They’re real teachers right? We were at school.” 

“Yea, he must’ve been paying them with some of our money and that’s why he would have to rotate them so much. But some of these names I’ve heard before.” Kaz pointed to a few teachers they’d had over the years. “These are all members of the Dime Lions, Pekka’s gang.” 

“I guess that’s your evidence.” Anika’s voice was shaky. “I can’t believe we were being taught by criminals. I mean, I feel like I did actually learn things.” 

“What if that’s what happened to all the kids who left when they turned 18? They either left or joined up. It makes sense, if Hertzoon-Pekka- was trying to influence us.” 

“We’ve got to go to the police.” Anika said suddenly. “We’ve been scammed for years. Margit must be in on it, too, because she recruited us-”

“No!” Kaz interrupted. “Don’t you want to get revenge yourself?”

“Revenge? Are you joking? We need help and we’ve gotta stop this from happening to anyone else. We can’t handle this ourselves.” 

Kaz started to argue, but he heard footsteps in the hallway. “Take the files, let’s go!” 

They had skidded out the door and around the corner when Kaz glimpsed the glittering of Hertzoon’s watch. They didn’t stay to watch him realize that there had been a break in. 

The next day, the headmaster was gone. No teachers made an appearance for class, so the students had returned to their rooms. The only ones with any clue of what had happened were Kaz and Anika. “I told you we should’ve called the police,” she hissed. 

“It wouldn’t matter. The police are in Pekka’s pocket- they won’t care about some stupid scam he pulled on a bunch of orphan kids. Our evidence isn’t solid enough to force their involvement.” Kaz regretted that he hadn’t been more careful- maybe then, he would’ve had more time. 

The students walked downstairs at lunchtime, and found all the classrooms and offices empty. The landlord had appeared in the evening. “What are you all doing in here? This is a respectable area. Barrel rats can’t just camp out here!” The older students had tried to explain their situation, but he wouldn’t hear it. They were given half an hour to leave with whatever belongings they had. Some of them had pleaded for everyone to stay together, but Kaz knew where he needed to go. He wouldn’t let Anika follow him, as he headed into the Barrel to Per Haskell’s Crow Club. 

“Kaz Brekker, what business?” The old man gave Kaz an easy grin. In his year of research, Kaz had found Per Haskell to be a reliable source, as long as his pockets were greased with kruge and whatever other bits of information Kaz had dug up around the Barrel. It also helped that Pekka Rollins was a threat to Haskell’s Dregs. He fancied their gangs old-fashioned rivals, although even Kaz, an outsider, could tell this wasn’t quite how things functioned anymore. 

“I have a deal for you.” Kaz had said. He outlined it like this: Kaz had a case against Pekka that would benefit Haskell, if they knocked him out of the game together with a hard enough hit. He could be a handy tool in the man’s belt- after all, hadn’t he navigated the Barrel’s world of gangs and its language of violence nearly seamlessly? He had been smart enough to plot his way into Pekka Rollins’ office. And, he was a decent enough thief. Kaz presented himself as an asset the Dregs couldn’t- and shouldn’t- refuse. In return these services, Kaz wanted these things: a place to live and continued education. 

After a moment, Per Haskell’s mouth cracked open in a laugh. “Alright kid. You’ve got your deal. But I’ve got enough boys on the streets. If I’m going to invest in you and your schooling, I’ll do it properly.” 

So it was. Kaz did live in the Slat with the Dregs and occasionally helped plan jobs, but he wasn’t to truly involve himself in gang activity. “Kaz” needed to be a clean and honest name. He kept “Brekker” as his last name- he didn’t need Pekka catching on to his new life. Per Haskell paid for Kaz’s business degree, as promised, eager for a large margin on his prodigy's inevitably profitable career. And then, Kaz opened his coffee shop. 

The first thing Haskell had said was, “The Dregs? I thought we agreed that you aren’t affiliated with us publicly!”

“It’s a pun. And besides, no one on this side of town knows the happenings of the Barrel.”

“Alright,” he sighed. “Well, why the hell would you open a damn coffee shop? How is this supposed to make me money?”

“You’d be surprised. And this is a good position for me- I’m ready to strike Pekka whenever we’re ready. My reputation will be completely clean- if we’re going to do this right, we’ll need that.” 

“Okay, fine. Just don’t start a war with the candy shop across the street.”

Time passed, of course, with no opportunity to stop Pekka. Kaz wasn’t always sure what the reason was for revenge at the end of the day. The man had wronged a vulnerable young boy, no doubt, with lies and scams, but it wasn’t quite about that. In some ways, Kaz felt that the tragedy with Jordie was linked to Pekka. Logically, he knew it was his own fault- he had killed his family, no one else. But Pekka had exploited that, took away the home the boys had grown up on with utter disrespect. Once in a while, Kaz’s thoughts would wander to the two graves at the northern edge of the farm, where the brook babbled. Where they still there? Or had everything been cleared away for Pekka’s own uses of the land? Whatever the reason, this revenge tied them together- himself, Pekka, Haskell. When it was all over, those strings would be cut and Kaz would be free to wonder at the logic and emotions of it all. 

Now, Kaz felt his world swallowed in the hearty guffaw of Pekka Rollins. “Sorry boys, didn’t see you there. Hope you’re enjoying your time at the Emerald Palace!” 

He could exhale. Pekka didn’t recognize him. Of course. His heart skipped a beat, but Kaz plastered an eager smile on his face. “Thank you! We just arrived, this is our first time here!” 

“I’m wishing you good odds- and that means quite a bit, since I’m the owner of this place.” 

“Wow, it’s nice to meet you!” Kaz forced himself to extend a hand. The handshake threatened to jolt him back to their first, in the Headmaster’s office all those years ago. Pekka and his men brushed past, further inside. 

Jesper grabbed Kaz’s arm and yanked him to a less busy corner. “Shit! How are we going to get into the office now?” Kaz pressed a finger to his own lips, trying to quiet Jesper before anyone heard. Then, he pulled a golden key from his pocket.   
“This is the key to Pekka’s office.”

“No way! You just got that off him?! Where the hell did you learn to pickpocket?” 

“Boarding school.” 

“Well it’s great that we have the key, but what’re we supposed to do with that now? Pekka and his goons are still in there.”

“We were never going to break into his office today. We’re here to get the key and case the place,” Kaz said. 

“We couldn’t just pick the lock?”

“I’m a pickpocket, not a lockpick, Jesper. And it’d be too hard to pick, anyway. Pekka wants to look like an old-fashioned, traditional boss.”

“What is this, The Godfather?”

“Never seen it. But I knew he’d want a big fancy key and lock on the door, so I had to get that first. Inside, there will be new tech, because he knows that’s the way to go if he really wants to protect himself. We’ll need the codes before we can do anything.”

“But first, we case the place, right?” Jesper confirmed. 

“Yea, get a tally of staircases, lights, guards, cameras. Play a game or two, see what you can learn.” 

Jesper shrugged. He said, “This wasn’t what I was expecting when I hung out with my boss outside of work for the first time.” Then, they got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you see this chapter was supposed to be the second half of the info-finding but this flashback got far too long. hopefully it gets all done next chap! then after that we'll get some wylan pov and classic soc shenanigans with the whole gang together.


End file.
